Would You Stay?
by JuzFics
Summary: Plagued by nightmares, Adrestian princess Edelgard von Hresvelg finds her concerned teacher in her room after she wakes up in a sweat. After Byleth (female) learns what causes her student's night terrors, she insists on doing whatever might help. [The fic does *not* state anything Edelgard tells Byleth in the game. Thus, no spoiler for the game, besides that there's a sad past.]


"Anything I can do?" Byleth asked, despite expecting Edelgard to decline the offer a second time, claiming there was nothing she would be able to do. The professor wouldn't be able to change the past, and mere wishing won't keep the nightly haunting away either. Technically speaking, there was simply no way how she could have helped her student in this situation, but on the off-chance that there is something, no matter how small in meaning, she could do to lighten the burden somewhat, she had to know and try – her responsibility as a teacher, and friend.

"No," the future emperor shook her head as expected, making her teacher frown. The blue eyes meeting her own light purple ones, seemingly seeing through her words, right into her soul and mind. A frightening thought; hopefully it was only that and not a fact. But with Byleth, both were quite possible. She sighed. "Well, there might be something."

Byleth raised her eyebrows, expecting Edelgard to go on, signalling her readiness to do this "something".

"You will laugh if I am to ask you."

The teacher shook her head in response. "I would _not_."

"Would you…stay?" Receiving a puzzled look, Edelgard took a deep breath to steady her voice and go on. "Here, with me. It may help feel less vulnerable if I am not alone in the dark." Feeling like a child, the princess feels humiliated at merely having to ask her teacher of all people for this kind of thing. The smile on Byleth' face just makes this feeling so much worse. "I knew you would be amused!"

"I'm not," Byleth denied the flustered accusation. "You misunderstand me. But if you want me to, I will stay."

Considering to argue, despite being the one who quite literally asked for it, Edelgard accepted defeat in a battle that Byleth did not even realise was one and went back into her bed, under her covers. Closing her eyes, trying to lose herself to a deep slumber. Failing horribly at that, the presence of her teacher awkwardly standing in a corner of her room watching her feeling almost worse than being alone in the room.

"Are you planning to stand there all night?" She asked after sitting up in her bed, meeting her teacher's observant gaze.

"You asked me to," Byleth reminded her. Straight to the point, missing the implied point completely.

"I am well aware…" Edelgard needed a moment to consider how to phrase her next sentence. She could swear her teacher's face was decorated by the faintest smirk, as if she just feigned ignorance to put Edelgard on this spot. "Are you not going to be tired tomorrow?"

"Very likely, yes." The professor shrugged. It wasn't as much of a concern as her presence reassuring her student, in her mind anyway.

"Would you like to rest here? …with me?" Edelgard plainly asked because she was worried of her teacher's performance in lectures tomorrow if she would not be well-rested. Yet, the single raised eyebrow implying more than there was to her question put her on edge.

"You wouldn't mind?" Byleth asked, before Edelgard could lose herself in senseless trying to save whatever was left of her reputation this night – definitely not much after having told her teacher of her childhood, revealed her vulnerable side and now added implications on top of it. A sleepless night and Byleth as conversation partner were apparently a bad combination.

"I would not," Edelgard assures her teacher, if just to end this chat and move on to tomorrow, pretending none of this ever happened.

Wrong choice, apparently, as in the next moment, she sees Byleth taking off _all_ her clothes, making the princess turn away to not cross a line in their teacher and student relationship. A slight shift in weight behind her and a shift of the cover let her know that Byleth now joined her in the bed. If it wasn't that, the warm breath in her nape would have given it away.

"You _do_ mind," Byleth pointed out. Edelgard was not sure whether it was supposed to be a tease, or if she was concerned.

"I do _not_. I just did not think you would…"

"Take off the stuffy armour before going to sleep?" She definitely was teasing.

"It was foolish of me, I'm sorry."

Thinking about it in silence, the second source of body warmth in her bed felt awfully nice and comforting. She wondered if she should dare to inch just a little bit closer, or if Byleth was possibly asleep already and would not even notice.

Arms wrapping around her waist, holding her tightly but not uncomfortably, proved her so wrong. Is that woman a mind reader?

"If you didn't want me to do that, say so and I will let go." Worse than a mind reader, now she puts Edelgard in yet another embarrassing situation. Either she'd say she minds, risking her teacher to keep a physical as well as emotional distance from her for forever, or she'd say she doesn't, letting someone else into her small world that allowed for no one but herself since always.

"Please don't," she muttered under her breath, deciding for the latter. If _anyone_ ever was the right person to let in, it would be none other than Byleth, who did not change her warm yet observant gaze after learning the truth about her. Who did not think of her as a fool, no matter how foolish she felt. If anyone would ever be able to accept her as just Edelgard, there would be nobody else.

"Thought so," Byleth' smile was audible in her tone. "I wouldn't want to let go either."

When Edelgard turned around to face her teacher, she noticed the warm gaze of the blue eyes that seemingly never let her out of their sight, now they were questioning her. She thought over words that would not leave her mouth right now, her mind seemingly held captive.

Instead, acting out of what felt like an instinct, she closed the distance between herself and Byleth, kissing her on the lips. Just a few seconds, yet feeling almost is if time was tempered with to make it last longer, but never long enough.

Once the princess pulled away, she felt ashamed. Having acted on a mere whim like this, breaking boundaries, she definitely shouldn't have. What would Byleth think of her now? Before she could lose herself to guilt and regret, Byleth brought her hand to the back of Edelgard's head, pulling her into another kiss, the princess reciprocating after catching her thoughts as well as the situation allowed within a few seconds.

Pulling away another time, feeling an even stronger urge to just close the distance again and for good, both girls in their head struggled for words.

"I think I love you," Edelgard breathed, the only thing her mind came up with, immediately having regret wash over her again. If a kiss wasn't the wrongest thing she could have done to the teacher, then a confession of her feelings definitely was. However, she was beyond caring about such details, she had to get a response now – and it came, fulfilling all her hopes:

"I love you, too."

* * *

AN:

This idea has been in my head since I saw Edel's support events, to be honest. I originally intended this to be smutty but then I kinda preferred it this way, oh well...  
(Mayyyybe I'll eventually write a longer fic for this ship or so, who knows...)

EITHER WAY this is OTP and you can't change my mind.

_Comment or let me otherwise know if you want more Byl x Edel from me?_


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